Donald Trump has described British aircraft carriers as 'toys' in his latest criticism of Nato allies over their lack of involvement in US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, the US president said he was 'very disappointed' and claimed he told the UK: 'Don't bother, we don't need it.'
Trump alleged he had requested two aircraft carriers from the UK that Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially rejected and then offered to send after the war. Downing Street has denied that any request was made or denied. Starmer has said he would not permit UK bases to be used for offensive strikes against Iran, though defensive operations are allowed.
The UK has deployed the warship HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean after an Iranian-made missile was launched from Lebanon at the UK's RAF base in Cyprus. Officials are also considering sending a Royal Navy vessel or civilian ship to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where the closure is affecting global energy movements.
Trump also derided the launch of an Iranian missile towards the US-UK base on Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands. He criticised the UK's agreement to hand over the islands to Mauritius, saying the UK was 'very afraid to give us' the island but 'we don't want to get dragged into their wars either.'
Starmer, meanwhile, travelled to Finland for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit, where he warned that the threat from Russia 'has not gone away' and that the West faces a 'war on two fronts' in Ukraine and Iran. He confirmed that the Ukrainian navy would join a JEF exercise for the first time this autumn.
